September 2014. The picture is now becoming clearer. A week ago, the Russian Foreign Ministry tweeted a speech by Lavrov on Twitter. In which Putin’s visionary plan was again mentioned as Russia’s ideal image.*
Putin’s vision published in Der Spiegel International on 25.11.2010 ‘From Lisbon to Vladivostok’ Putin Envisions a Russia-EU Free Trade Zone and reported in the other main international media.
And see also in the Wikipedia “from_Lisbon_to_Vladivostok”
It lacks a prominent role for the US and Russia focuses explicitly on the European continent. At the same time, the US is trying to get a treaty, Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), to get off the ground with the EU (Wikipedia TTIP). Also within a transatlantic visionary vision. Is seriously embarrassed by the revelations of Snowden (who probably did not happen to be accommodated in Russia by accident). Delay and removal between EU and US.
It becomes clear to me why the US and its pro-Atlantic allies within the EU were so proactive about the internal tensions in the Ukraine, deliberately crossed the red line of Russia, because Putin’s European vision of the future has “died”, and the relationship between the EU and the US is now a whole lot better and NATO survives in its current form. And with that the dominant influence of America on the security and defence policy of its power and especially economic competitor the EU. What European pro-Atlanticists and EU critics also applaud.
Russia and the US are apparently engaged in a fierce strategic battle over the influence on Europe and for America in particular its economic competitor the EU. Where the use of violence is no longer being avoided. The US seems to be winning that battle now, but at what price? And my question is as to whether the current outcome and this battle is in the strategic interest of the EU itself … of us Europeans. For some time I think the answer is no.
Addition 2015:
*Merkel saw the vision in 2015 and clearly spoke about it. But saw insufficiently why Russia reacted so allergic to this expansion of the EU, NATO and democracy to the east. Underestimate the (malicious) role and impact of the US and UK and their policies in this..I think.. since 1999 (Kosovo War).
Merkel offers Russia free-trade agreement
Update August 2019:
Macron: “and we believe in a Europe which stretches from Lisbon (Portugal) to Vladivostok (Russia),
And on his Twitter account.
Update March 2022:
It seems that this project of the nationalist US and buddy UK projects of the last two decades, to undermine and definitive bury this vision of Putin and Merkel and Macron a.o. …in fact the European dream from the often painfully learned lessons of our European history…has succeeded in the end, after Merkel left office, the conflict around Ukraine was deliberately stoked up crossing the high strategic Russia’s red line and has now dramatically escalated. And in that process the EU leaders…itself also the very target of this undermining project…gullible and loyal, foolhardy and not having learned anything, have just taken the wrong turn…
Update May 2022:
For eight years only?! ya right..🙃🤥🤡
“United States, Canada, Britain…other allies”…
Although, as far as I know, Canada was less actively and ideologically involved in the larger US-UK project and policy against Russia..and the EU. Then more so Australia..
“To get the Ukrainians ready for this kind of war…”
Yes because the US knew this was going to happen one day. Not because the Russians were intended to do so. Putin’s Russia clearly wanted to prevent it. Although they said they would intervene if their red line in Ukraine would be crossed. And that was exactly what the US and UK and sympathisers did in the direction of 24 April. They provoked it to this point..all peace attempts were torpedoed…deliberately so. And there were reasons to do so now…
The reality and real developments of the past decades are being ‘leaked’ more and more now. Most of it from loose talk and grandstanding from victory voting. Like John Kirby here…who is also known for that. Though most will miss it here in EU and gullibly think it’s all genuine and sincere what US and UK and their supporters do towards Ukraine and against ‘that evil Putin’s Russia’…
Just like in Afghanistan 2001-2021 and Iraq 2003>…
Incredible…🤷♂️🤦♂️
Update June 2022
This also the reason why the phone of German Chancellor Merkel and French President Hollande as well as European Commission and German former foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and many others ministers were tapped by the Americans?! With help from pro-Atlantic countries like Denmark and even Germany’s own secret service. Help from secret services, often with a high degree of wilfulness, initiative and collaboration, which we see more often in this dossier. And thereby embarrassing their own government, after which it deal with similar misconduct by allies without much fuss.
And the these days so needed disclaimer …
RONALD JH ELZENGA 